West Yellowstone, Montana climate: Normal weather by month, frost dates and records
West Yellowstone's normal year runs from 0°F January nights to 80°F July afternoons, with 26.0 inches of precipitation a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
In metric: a yearly mean of 1.8°C, January lows of −18°C, July highs of 27°C, 660 mm of precipitation a year.
- NOAA stationWest Yellowstone Gateway
- Station IDUSC00248858
- Location44.66°N 111.09°W
- Elevation6,679 ft (2,036 m)
- Population1,202
On October 14, the normal high in West Yellowstone is 52°F and the normal low 22°F.
Normals describe a typical year at the station, not a forecast. The National Weather Service forecast for West Yellowstone.
- Jan 27° 0°
- Feb 31° 2°
- Mar 40° 9°
- Apr 48° 21°
- May 59° 29°
- Jun 68° 34°
- Jul 80° 39°
- Aug 78° 36°
- Sep 68° 30°
- Oct 51° 21°
- Nov 36° 11°
- Dec 26° 3°
Each month: normal high (large) and low, °F. Fill: the month's normal mean, colder blue to hotter red.
What is the weather like in West Yellowstone each month?
July is the warmest month, with normal highs of 80°F; January the coldest, with normal lows of 0°F. The most precipitation falls in December (3.05 in), the least in July (1.30 in).
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. | Wet days | 90°F days | Freezing nights | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27°F | 0°F | 13.5°F | 2.28 | – | <1 | 31 | 9 h 10 min |
| February | 31°F | 2°F | 16.4°F | 2.06 | – | <1 | 28 | 10 h 20 min |
| March | 40°F | 9°F | 24.4°F | 2.17 | – | <1 | 31 | 11 h 50 min |
| April | 48°F | 21°F | 34.2°F | 2.31 | – | <1 | 29 | 13 h 30 min |
| May | 59°F | 29°F | 43.9°F | 2.70 | – | <1 | 24 | 14 h 50 min |
| June | 68°F | 34°F | 51.2°F | 2.49 | – | <1 | 11 | 15 h 30 min |
| July | 80°F | 39°F | 59.4°F | 1.30 | – | 1 | 5 | 15 h 20 min |
| August | 78°F | 36°F | 57.0°F | 1.39 | – | <1 | 8 | 14 h 10 min |
| September | 68°F | 30°F | 48.6°F | 1.69 | – | <1 | 20 | 12 h 40 min |
| October | 51°F | 21°F | 36.1°F | 1.92 | – | <1 | 28 | 11 h |
| November | 36°F | 11°F | 23.6°F | 2.61 | – | <1 | 29 | 9 h 40 min |
| December | 26°F | 3°F | 14.2°F | 3.05 | – | <1 | 31 | 8 h 50 min |
| Year (annual) | 51°F | 20°F | 35.2°F | 25.97 | – | 2 | 274 |
The same normals in °C and millimetres
| Month | High | Low | Mean | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | −3°C | −18°C | −10.3°C | 58 mm |
| February | 0°C | −17°C | −8.7°C | 52 mm |
| March | 4°C | −13°C | −4.2°C | 55 mm |
| April | 9°C | −6°C | 1.2°C | 59 mm |
| May | 15°C | −2°C | 6.6°C | 69 mm |
| June | 20°C | 1°C | 10.7°C | 63 mm |
| July | 27°C | 4°C | 15.2°C | 33 mm |
| August | 26°C | 2°C | 13.9°C | 35 mm |
| September | 20°C | −1°C | 9.2°C | 43 mm |
| October | 10°C | −6°C | 2.3°C | 49 mm |
| November | 2°C | −11°C | −4.7°C | 66 mm |
| December | −3°C | −16°C | −9.9°C | 77 mm |
NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for this station. The nearest record that keeps one, Old Faithful (19 miles away), gets 197 inches of snow in a normal year; elevation and distance can change that.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00248858; annual normals. Wet days: 0.01 inch or more; 90°F days and freezing nights: NOAA's day counts. Daylight: sunrise to sunset on the 15th, computed from the latitude.
When is the best weather to visit West Yellowstone?
Normal highs sit between 65°F and 85°F in June, July, August and September.
That is a measurement, not a recommendation: it counts the months whose normal afternoon high sits between 65°F and 85°F, where a light layer is enough by day.
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00248858.
How hot and how cold does it get in West Yellowstone?
In a normal year in West Yellowstone, 2 days a year reach 90°F and 274 nights fall to 32°F or colder.
- Days at 90°F or more
- 2a normal year
- Days at 100°F or more
- fewer than 1a normal year
- Nights at 32°F or colder
- 274a normal year
- Days that stay below freezing
- 86high of 32°F or less
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 annual normals, station USC00248858.
How sunny is West Yellowstone?
Over a year 74% of the sunlight that would reach the ground under clear skies gets through the clouds in the area around West Yellowstone, 4.2 kWh per square metre a day. July is the sunniest month (87%) and December the cloudiest (56%).
| Month | Share of clear-sky sunshine | Sunshine, kWh/m² a day |
|---|---|---|
| January | 60% | 1.6 |
| February | 65% | 2.6 |
| March | 65% | 3.7 |
| April | 68% | 5.0 |
| May | 70% | 5.9 |
| June | 77% | 6.9 |
| July | 87% | 7.5 |
| August | 86% | 6.3 |
| September | 81% | 4.8 |
| October | 71% | 3.0 |
| November | 62% | 1.8 |
| December | 56% | 1.3 |
Source: NASA POWER solar climatology, 2001-2020 (CERES SYN1deg). Satellite-based, for the 1-degree cell (about 100 km across) around the station, so it describes the area rather than the airport.
How much heating and cooling does West Yellowstone need?
A normal year in West Yellowstone brings 10,849 heating degree days, 2.0 times the median U.S. place (5,373), and 16 cooling degree days, 98% fewer than the median (908). Ten months need 300 or more heating degree days, a monthly mean of about 55°F or colder. For gardens and crops, NOAA counts 716 growing degree days a year above 50°F.
| Month | Heating | Cooling |
|---|---|---|
| January | 1,597 | 0 |
| February | 1,362 | 0 |
| March | 1,259 | 0 |
| April | 924 | 0 |
| May | 656 | 0 |
| June | 416 | 0 |
| July | 184 | 12 |
| August | 251 | 4 |
| September | 492 | 0 |
| October | 896 | 0 |
| November | 1,241 | 0 |
| December | 1,573 | 0 |
| Year (annual) | 10,849 | 16 |
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 monthly normals, station USC00248858. A degree day is one degree of a day's mean temperature below 65°F (heating) or above it (cooling); utilities use them to estimate energy use.
Has West Yellowstone been warmer than normal lately?
2022 averaged 33.7°F, 1.5°F below the 1991-2020 normal of 35.2°F. 1 of the 2 complete years since 2021 ran warmer than the normal.
| Year | Mean | Against normal | Precip. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36.3°F | +1.1°F | 22.00 |
| 2022 | 33.7°F | −1.5°F | 27.30 |
Source: observed years: ACIS, station USC00248858. A year counts only with all twelve months complete.
How does West Yellowstone's climate compare?
West Yellowstone is warmer than 2 of the other 140 places with their own NOAA record in Montana, and wetter than 125. Across the 7,247 U.S. stations with normals, its annual mean of 35.2°F is warmer than 2%.
In the Köppen classification computed from these normals, West Yellowstone is Dfc: continental, no dry season, cool summer. What the classes mean.
Places with the most similar year elsewhere
Measured month by month on the normal high, low and precipitation, among places of 20,000 or more people in other states:
Source: NOAA NCEI 1991-2020 normals for every station PlainClimate covers. Similarity: the root-mean-square difference of the 36 monthly figures, precipitation weighted so an inch counts like 6°F.
Which places near West Yellowstone share this climate record?
Hebgen Lake Estates has no NOAA station with 1991-2020 normals of its own, and this station is the nearest full record. A place's own climate can differ from these figures, by several degrees where it sits much higher or lower than the station, nearer the coast, or inside a large city's heat; for the larger places the next nearest records are named with their yearly mean, so the spread around them is visible, and places of 50,000 or more have their own page with NOAA's gridded normals.
- Hebgen Lake Estates, MT53 people · 9 mi NW
Source: Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer (place centers) and Vintage 2024 population estimates. Distance and direction from the station to each place's center.
Questions about West Yellowstone's climate
What is the coldest month in West Yellowstone?
January, with a normal high of 27°F and a normal low of 0°F. The warmest is July (80°F by day, 39°F at night).
Does it snow in West Yellowstone?
Yes. NOAA publishes no 1991-2020 snowfall normal for West Yellowstone's NOAA station; the nearest record that keeps one, Old Faithful (19 miles away), records 197 inches of snow in a normal year.
What is the rainiest month in West Yellowstone?
December, with 3.05 in of precipitation in a normal year; the driest is July with 1.30 in.
What plant hardiness zone is West Yellowstone in?
The USDA's 2023 map puts West Yellowstone in zone 4b in ZIP code 59758, the nearest ZIP area.
Nearby and next
- Montana climateThe statewide normals and every place in the state
- Old Faithful, WY19 miles from this station, 34.4°F a year
- Hebgen Dam, MT19 miles from this station, 37.0°F a year
- Island Park, ID22 miles from this station, 36.8°F a year
- Yellowstone Park Mammoth, WY29 miles from this station, 40.8°F a year
- Compare two placesMonth by month, side by side
Download these normals (CSV) · JSON · How these figures are made